“We expect this circuit to particularly suit the KTM,” says RTR Projects team CEO Tomáš Fanta ahead of the race weekend. “We’ve tested here with the KTM several times, even last winter. It’s a very technical track with plenty of corners and no long straights,” he explains.
The four-kilometre Circuit Ricardo Tormo, best known in motorsport as the usual venue for the MotoGP season finale, naturally plays to the strengths of the KTM. Even so, RTR Projects has plenty to fight for with the Mercedes as well. Petr Lisa currently sits third in the AM class standings, two rounds from the end of the season. He reached this position thanks to five podium finishes, including a victory in the second race at Spa-Francorchamps.
This season, Lisa has alternated between two cars and two team-mates. He contested the opening rounds at Le Castellet and Zandvoort alongside Ondřej Rokos in the Mercedes, before pairing with Viktor Mráz in the KTM for the subsequent weekends at Spa-Francorchamps and Misano. Rokos was absent during that period, choosing to spend time with his family following the birth of his daughter.
Although Valencia marks the Czech duo’s first European start in a long four months, they arrive well prepared. Lisa and Rokos train together on the simulator almost daily and have also competed as a pair in two GT Cup Series rounds over the summer, at Most and the Slovakia Ring.
“We’ll see what this weekend brings,” says Rokos, who will be racing at Valencia for the first time. “I’ve never competed or tested here before. It’s a very nice circuit, though, and I’m curious to see how much the real track differs from the simulator,” he adds.
For Petr Lisa, the final two rounds won’t be just about defending his third place, where he currently holds a 13-point advantage over Oliver Freymuth in the Lamborghini Huracán. In Valencia, however, Pascal Gibon and Christophe Bourret will be absent. The French duo sits second in the standings with a 19-point lead over Lisa, which, given their absence, is by no means a comfortable margin.
“We definitely have the potential for second place overall, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves,” says Tomáš Fanta, keeping his feet on the ground. “This year, our main focus is on gaining experience so that next year we can challenge for the very top positions,” he adds.
Teacher and apprentice reunited
After two joint starts with Petr Lisa, Viktor Mráz now teams up with Maťo Homola in the KTM X-Bow. The Slovak duo already know each other very well. Experienced Homola has worked with Mráz since last year, not only as a co-driver but also as a coach. This partnership has already delivered results, particularly in the GT Cup Series, where Mráz became the endurance champion in the GTX class. They also demonstrated their speed together earlier this year at the Slovakia Ring in the same Central European championship.
“It’s a technical circuit that should suit the KTM,” Homola arrives in Valencia full of optimism. His confidence is backed by their most recent GT2 European Series outing. “In Misano, we nailed the setup and were strong in the technical sections. The car performed well in both qualifying and the races. I think we’re very well prepared,” he adds.
Homola is also pleased about another outing with Mráz. “He’s like my apprentice, someone I’ve been teaching the fundamentals of racing. Since last year, he’s made huge progress and improved a lot. In Misano, he showed very strong pace. I’m glad we’re racing together,” Homola praises his team-mate. This year, he has already secured three podiums in the PRO-AM class and currently sits fourth in the standings.
The race weekend in Valencia officially kicks off on Friday, with a free practice session at 12:30 followed by pre-qualifying at 17:00. On Saturday, qualifying begins at 10:15, leading into the first race at 16:50. The penultimate round of the season concludes on Sunday with the second race, starting at 10:25. Both races will run for 60 minutes.
